


You See Them - Confidants

by JuneLuxray



Series: You See Them AU [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: AU, Acceptance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Death, Drug Addiction, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt/Comfort, Overdosing, Paranormal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuneLuxray/pseuds/JuneLuxray
Summary: You See Them related short stories and confidant chapters that were excluded from the main story.
Series: You See Them AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902964
Comments: 32
Kudos: 193





	1. Death, or Lack Thereof

**Author's Note:**

> This is the side fic of AMA with all the side stories and confidants not explored in the main story. Royal content will be in a different fic.

It was late April, and Takemi finally had a good test subject in the form of a teenage boy asking for special medicine for his ‘exams.’ She highly doubted that was the case and assumed he would run at the price of being a guinea pig.

But weird kid he was, he downed the medicine and passed out on the floor. Takemi managed to pull him onto the patient bed without incident. He mumbled and moaned a bit while Takemi took notes on his vitals.

He had been out for a good half hour before he began muttering semi-coherent sentences.

“... Can’t... keep hiding...”

Takemi paused and looked at her patient curiously. She frowned. “Can’t keep hiding what, guinea pig?”

“... that I see ghosts.”

Takemi silenced as the boy moaned in his stupor. “... Don’t want them... to hate me. For the best if... if...”

He stopped talking and let out a sleepy breath. She was unsure how to feel about it, but jotted down notes all the same. She stared at him curiously as he laid there, prone. His eyelids and fingers twitched, and his lips were set in a frown. Tae wrote down notes on her new patient; he continued to mutter, albeit incoherently.

When he woke up awhile later, he moaned and drowsily began to pick himself up. He winced as he moved and reached up to clutch his head.

“Finally awake?” Tae questioned. Ren winced.

“What happened?”

“The drug knocked you out.” she said bluntly. She thought about asking him if he was an idiot, but thought against it as she thought back to his nightmare. “So... for your exams, huh?” Ren nodded. “Are you sure? You were talking in your sleep and looked distressed.”

Ren paled. “What... was I saying?”

“Nonsense, but I could tell it was a nightmare.” Takemi sighed. “I’m going to level with you: did you come here trying to get meds for anxiety? Depression?”

He shrugged anxiously and looked away. “... For my exams.”

The words were unconvincing. Takemi frowned. “Jeez... well, I’ll tell you what. Keep being my guinea pig and we have a deal.” 

“Deal.” 

“I’m not done yet.” Takemi sighed. “How often have you been having nightmares? How are you doing psychologically?”

“Fine!” Ren sputtered. At her unimpressed stare, he cleared his throat. “Uh... I mean... well... yeah, nightmares, but I’m coping?”

“How often?”

“... Er...”

Takemi rolled her eyes. “I think you should see a psychiatrist and a therapist. I’m not a specialist, but if I had to wager a guess... you might have an anxiety disorder.” At Ren’s awkward silence, she gave an huff. “I’m tempted to give you an antidepressant, but that’s a drug you have to carefully taper off if you start taking. I’m going to refer you to a psychiatrist who can fully evaluate you. I’ll send you home with that.”

Ren shyly muttered thanks and escaped with a variety of medicines for his team. Some of them struck her odd— burn creams, thick gauze, while relax gel was another. Maybe he was buying other drugs to make it seem less obvious?

Part of her wondered if she should talk to his guardian.

* * *

The next round of testing knocked him out again after a short delay. Yet again, she had to drag him to the patient bed. A bit of drool dripped out of the corner of his mouth as she began to take notes.

Twenty minutes in, and he was muttering in his sleep again.

“... They’re getting too close...”

Takemi paused and lowered her pen as she looked down at him. This time, she remained silent as he paused before continuing to mutter in his sleep.

“... I know ‘m weird... I did’t... askta see ghosts... please don’ hate me...”

Takemi frowned and flipped back to her previous notes. Ghosts again. Her brow furrowed. This seemed to be a recurring theme.

“Wish I could... make it stop.” he whispered in his sleep. Takemi made her notes and reached for her phone to begin searching for some sort of answer to what he was talking about. 

She found a dream interpretation site and scoffed under her breath. Unscientific and wouldn’t explain what was going on. She clicked on it all the same and didn’t find anything of significant meaning beyond what she estimated to be conjecture.

Eventually, he began to moan and awaken. She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and sat at attention as he began to push himself up and groan softly.

“It was the smell that knocked you out,” she explained, “when the medicine combines with gastric acid, it produces a foul odor similar to surstromming.”

“Oh. Okay.” He experimentally breathed into a hand and sniffed his breath. She chuckled.

“Don’t worry, it dissipated by this point. No need to be concerned about Sakura-san tossing you out.”

She checked his vitals and took a bit of blood as a sample.

“One last thing,” she said as he began to get up, “I have a few questions. It’s related to potential side effects of the drugs.”

“Oh.” Ren sat back down. “Sure.”

She smiled. “Thanks. This won’t take long.” She cleared her throat. “So, one of the possible side effects of the drug is hallucinations. Have you been experiencing any hallucinations in any form? Visual, auditory, tactile?”

Ren shook his head with no hesitation. She couldn’t see any deception in his eyes or movements, and his facial expression was neutral at most. “No.” he said calmly. She hummed to herself and shrugged.

“Okay. My other question— have you been having any strange or vivid dreams? Nightmares?”

Ren shook his head. “Not any more than what I usually deal with.”

“Hmm. And what do you usually deal with?”

He finally flinched. She had a hit. “Oh, just...” He scratched the back of his head. “I get pretty frequent nightmares. But they haven’t been any different than before.”

“Alright... what are these nightmares about? Is the subject matter any different?”

Ren pursed his lips and frowned. “I’m sorry, Takemi-san, but what does that have to do with drug side effects?”

_Damn._ She hid her reaction under a casual shrug as she fanned herself with her clipboard. “You’re my patient; I worry about your health. If you’re having a lot of nightmares, that might indicate an underlying problem.”

He shook his head. “Ah, it’s no big deal, and I’d rather not discuss the subject matter. Sorry.”

Takemi sighed and nodded. “No problem, Guinea Pig. I understand.”

He left, and she was left to stare at her notes as she wracked her brain for an explanation. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe Amamiya was convinced the “ghosts” he saw weren’t a hallucination? Did he have some form of psychosis?

She was left wanting for an explanation she didn’t have.

* * *

The idea came to her one night when she was innocently perusing the shelves of a rental DVD shop in Shibuya. She had spied a copy of Wraith, a series she remembered being fond of while in medical school. As she remembered the show fondly, she began to remember her guinea pig’s apparent ghost problems, and a small experiment was born.

When he came in for the next trial, Takemi was playing Wraith on a TV in the waiting room. She noted his immediate flinching as he saw what the show was and noted the profound discomfort on his face.

“Can you, um... turn the TV off or change the channel?” he pleaded. Takemi feigned confusion and cocked her head at him.

“Why? I like the show.”

Ren shrugged and wrung his fingers together. “N—No reason. Just, uh... I’m sick of listening to it! My, uh... guardian! He loves the show. Watches it all the time. I get sick of it. Don’t ask him about it, though, he calls it a guilty pleasure.”

Takemi couldn’t think of a single time she had seen Sakura-san watching that show, but nodded all the same and turned the TV off.

Later, she tried to ask Sakura about the show. He shrugged and said he had never seen it himself, and was left baffled as she began to jot down notes in a small notepad she had tucked away in her purse.

Did he really think he could see ghosts? Was it, for lack of better words, haunting him? 

_... What in the world is going on with that boy? _

* * *

One day in mid-summer, Ren came for another trial. Takemi immediately noticed his entire aura had shifted; he didn’t seem as downtrodden or hopeless as he normally was. He wasn’t jumping for joy, but he carried himself with an air of... what she would best describe as security. Contented security.

His insecurity was gone without a trace.

“Well, someone seems happy.” she remarked as they entered the patient room. “You get a date or something?”

“Among other things.” At her snickering, Ren reddened. “I mean— not that! I, uh— I mean, yes, I have a girlfriend now, but other good things happened recently.”

“I’m sure that’s the case. Look, if you need condoms, just—”

He went even redder. “Gah! I swear, that’s not what—”

The door opened. Both turned to see an irritated-looking Chief Oyamada in the doorway. Takemi’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re still in business?”

“Sir,” Ren spoke up, irritated as he glared at him, “this is a private exam. Can you please leave?”

“That’s right.” Takemi huffed. “I don’t recall inviting you. I’m busy with my patient, so—”

“Do you really want this woman treating you?” the man challenged Ren. “Do you even know what she did?”

“I do, and I don’t care because I think it’s bullshit.” Ren huffed. “Please leave.”

“Does patient confidentiality mean anything to you?” Takemi huffed. Oyamada scowled.

“I heard you stole one of my patients. A girl with bronchitis. She came here with her father...”

Takemi scratched the back of her head and narrowed her eyes at him. “... Bronchitis, you say? Well, I had no intention of taking her from you. I didn’t tell her to come to my clinic.”

“There’s talk that the care at a university hospital is inferior to that of a general practitioner! ‘Original medicine’, hah! What you’re doing here is a joke!”

Takemi shrugged and looked away. “... You’re right.”

Ren scowled. “No. No, he’s not.” He glared at Oyamada. “Sir, what she’s doing is none of your business, and you’re taking up my appointment time. I have schoolwork to do after this, so...”

“You heard the boy.” Takemi huffed. “Get out of my clinic. You’re intruding on an exam. I will call the police if you don’t leave.”

Oyamada gave Ren an annoyed look as the boy stood up and glared at him. “You seem fond of her.” he observed. “Did you know she tortured a patient with her unregulated medicine?” He sighed forlornly and shook his head. “Terrible, isn’t it? She was such a brave girl, always smiling...”

Takemi blanched. “... ‘Was’?”

“She died.” he said with a long-suffering smile. “Maybe the same thing will happen to you, if you stick with her.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Takemi snapped, charging forward. “She should still have some time...! She was slowly recovering... her condition shouldn’t have deteriorated that fast!”

“But it did. You must have misjudged—”

“When?” Ren demanded. “When did she die?”

The doctor shook his head. “What’s it to you?”

“What’s it to YOU? Answer me.” Ren snarled. “Didn’t you take over her care months ago? If that’s the case, wouldn’t that be your fault in judgement, then?”

Oyamada gasped and grit his teeth. “You—!” 

“You heard me.” Ren scoffed. Oyamada clenched his fists.

“You don’t know anything!” He turned to a dead-eyed Takemi. “Don’t take a patient from me ever again.”

He left. As soon as the door closed, Takemi fell to her knees in despair. She hardly had time to mourn before her guinea pig spoke.

“Miwa-chan isn’t dead.”

He said it with so much conviction that she was almost convinced of it immediately as she stared up at him with wide eyes. “What...? How could you know that?”

The boy just pushed his glasses up. “I— I don’t think she’s dead. His... way he said it. He didn’t give a date of death and got defensive. I don’t know, I think he... er, he was lying. What’s that doctor’s full name?”

In spite of her misgivings and confusion, she told him. “Why do you want to know...?” she asked, mildly concerned. Ren just shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine; I think you should keep working on that medicine you want to cure her with.”

Takemi scoffed as she stood up. “And if she is dead?”

He shrugged. “Let’s say that’s the case. What about all the other people with her condition? Don’t let all your research be in vain.”

With that, he left, and she was left to watch as he made his way out.

* * *

Miwa-chan wasn’t dead.

Barely a week later, Oyamada confessed to his crimes and absolved her of any blame. Takemi almost fainted at the news; as she turned to Ren as he said they should get to work, she noticed a proud, knowing look in his eyes. With help from him, Takemi completed her treatment and had it sent to her in the nick of time.

It was too much of a coincidence. Takemi began researching the Thieves and discovered a recent article: several crooked cops had turned themselves in.

“I don’t know how the Phantom Thieves knew,” one that had been interviewed commented, “there was one man who was investigating me. One man who is now long dead. I can’t imagine how they sniffed me out.”

Takemi’s heart skipped a beat as she thought back to Ren’s odd behaviors and comments in his sleep.

“No way.” she whispered to herself in the dead of night, in the dark where she looked at her phone. “But... can it really be...?”

It plagued her until her curiosity reached its apex as she sent off a completed cure for Miwa-chan. When all was said and done and they were alone, it was the perfect time to learn the truth. 

“... Have I been helpful?” she questioned when they were alone. She winked at him. “With your escapades with the Phantom Thieves?”

His eyes widened. _Bingo._

“Um, what?” 

She scoffed. “You and I both know that you were never in this for drugs for your exams. That change of heart worked out way too well for me... the timing was too much.” At his cringe, she smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone your secret identity.”

Ren sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what to say, but... thanks...”

“You’re welcome. Now... what about Miwa-chan?” She stared, hard, at him. “How did you know right away that she was alive?”

Ren stiffened a bit. She could see a bead of sweat on his forehead. “... Phantom Thief stuff.” he finally replied vaguely. Takemi narrowed her eyes.

“Could it be that you didn’t see her ghost and knew she wasn’t dead?”

He immediately jerked back in shock. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his face went white as his eyes went even wider. For some reason, that made her smile. “What?! How... what... huh?!” He cleared his throat and shook his head as he began to toy with a lock of his hair. “I, uh... don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Takemi scoffed. “Is that so?” She fanned herself with the clipboard. “Because I remember you muttering something during one of the drug trials about being unable to hide the fact you can see ghosts. And then another when you were worried about being hated for it. Then the Wraith thing when you and I both very well know that Sakura-san doesn’t watch that show. You’re a terrible liar, you know.”

The boy looked as though he was going to go into an anxiety attack, but Takemi held a hand up. “Don’t panic. I’m not going to tell anyone about that, either.”

Ren stammered for a moment before shaking his head. “You... you know... and you believe me...?”

“Yeah.” Takemi shrugged. “At first, I didn’t believe it. Just assumed that it was the babbling of a person on drugs. But after that... incident, and the change of heart, I wondered... if it was true after all. Your reaction right now proved that.”

The boy stared at her for several moments before closing his eyes, moaning, and collapsing in a seat. His cheeks went red as he covered his face.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe I said that. TWICE.”

“It was clearly bothering you. It’s something that’s been looming over you, isn’t it? That’s what’s been bothering you.” 

“I...” Ren took a breath and shook his head. “I can’t believe this... you really believe me...?”

“I do. A good doctor doesn’t humor a patient’s hallucinations. If I didn’t believe you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” She chuckled. “I won’t lie, I’m still having trouble wrapping my mind around it, but...” She paused and frowned at him. “Hey... maybe I’m being too pushy, but... are you okay? It seems like it’s a really sensitive subject for you. Does Sakura-san not know?”

Ren sighed and pulled his hand away. He ran it through his hair. “Sakura-san... actually just found out a few days ago. My friends found out, too, in late July. It all ended up being okay, but... I’m still not very comfortable with it.”

“That would match up with when I noticed you seem more confidant.” Takemi smiled softly. “Well... you don’t have to be afraid in here. I’m actually very curious and would love to learn more...”

“Not much to say.” Ren said with a shrug. “Ghosts exist and I see them when most people can’t.”

“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.” At his expression, she laughed. “I mean it! Anyways, take care of yourself, Ren, and never let it bog you down again.”

Ren smiled weakly. 

“I’ll try my best.”

* * *

It was mid-December when Takemi got a call to come look at someone in Leblanc. She didn’t get many details, but assumed it was Phantom Thief related as she agreed and gathered what she needed before heading out.

As soon as she exited the clinic, however, she was struck by a primal fear with an unnatural chill in the air, beyond what she noticed earlier in the day outside.

Ren had told her (with some prodding) about this before. Angry ghosts were nearby— and a lot of them.

Takemi watched, bemused, as people hurried inside, all looking terrified. She saw at least one person on the phone with an emergency operator.

For a moment, she thought about going inside, but she took a deep breath and headed cautiously in the direction of Leblanc. The sensation only got stronger as she drew closer. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn’t Goro Akechi, her guinea pig’s enemy, crouching and covering his head for dear life. The other Phantom Thieves and Sakura-san were gathered around, looking terrified, while Ren just looked disturbed. 

She watched in silence as he got the ghosts’ attention and convinced them to disperse. The air cleared instantly, and Takemi stared, still bewildered as Sojiro glared at Akechi and asked when he was there.

Finally, she cleared her throat. All eyes went up to her as she turned to Ren.

“I have no idea what’s happening, but wagering a guess, there’s a lot of ghosts that are mad at Akechi-kun for some reason?”

All of the Thieves (sans Ren) and Sojiro blanched. 

“SHE KNOWS?!” Ryuji gasped out loud. Ann elbowed him, earning a grunt of pain from him.

“Keep your voice down!”

“It’s a long story.” Ren said with a huff. “I’ll explain, but let’s go inside first.”

* * *

In spite of the fact Akechi had apparently nearly suffered death, Takemi couldn’t find any life-threatening injuries. She wondered how and why he had managed to piss off so many ghosts, but they wouldn’t tell her.

“His mom says thank you.” Ren said as she headed out. Takemi blinked and chuckled.

“All in a day’s work.” She sighed and smiled softly. “You keep life interesting, Guinea Pig. That’s for sure.”


	2. The Moon’s Pep Talk

Ren wasn’t sure what ungodly hour of the night it was the first night of Hawaii. He had woken up, eyes achey and exhausted, as thirst overtook him.

He stared at the pitch black ceiling for at least ten minutes, trying to will himself to fall back asleep when the urge to go to the bathroom hit him as well.

With a weary sigh, he pulled himself out of bed and snuck past a sleeping Mishima. He used the bathroom and tiptoed for the minifridge in the room. It popped open, and he was left to stare at the vacant fridge. He closed his eyes, gave an exhausted huff, and stood up. Still, he grabbed his room key and tiptoed out. He squinted as light flooded his vision from the hallways and inched out, not wanting to wake Mishima.

Ren dazedly tiptoed down the hall toward a vending machine he vaguely remembered seeing when they headed to their room. He ended up approaching a small room off the end of the hallway with bright, fluorescent lights that burned his eyes. Even so, he still saw a petite, anxious-looking young woman pacing by the back wall.

She was in a wetsuit, of all things, covered from neck to ankle. Her auburn hair looked slick with water as she paced. The woman kept a hand on her cheek as she seemed deep in thought.

Ren wasn’t sure how to respond, at first— quietly sneak in, grab a water bottle from the machine, and go? 

At the same time, the woman seemed so distressed, and he couldn’t help but feel anxiety for her. 

What if she needed help?

With a quiet sigh, Ren spoke up gently, quietly.

“Excuse me?” He spoke in English, assuming the woman to be an American; he had an accent and spoke a bit haltingly, but was coherent. Her head shot up and she stared at him with wide, owlish eyes. He cleared his throat. “Hi. Do you need help?”

He didn’t understand why she continued to gape at him until she spoke in a stunned voice.

“You can see me.”

His eyes widened.

“Oh, shit.”

The woman let out a noise like a relieved breath and stepped forward. “Oh, thank God! I thought no one would ever— that I wouldn’t— ah! Yes, please, I need your help!”

Ren took a breath and rubbed at his eyes. “I— Okay. Yes, I see ghosts. I need you to speak slower, okay? I speak OK English, but it is not perfect.”

“Oh, sorry. Okay.” She cocked her head to the side. “Where are you from? Why are you here?”

“Japan. Here with a class trip.” He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry, I came over here to get water and go back to sleep. How can I help?”

The woman frowned and shook her head. “I don’t want to burden you... why don’t you get your drink and—will you have time tomorrow to talk?”

Ren nodded. “Mhm. It’s a free day after role call. After, I can help you.”

She let out a breath of relief. “Oh, thank God. Okay. Get your water and...”

Ren heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Ryuji and Ann, both rubbing their eyes and yawning in their pajamas but awake.

“Where’s th’ ghost?” Ryuji yawned. Ren blinked.

“How did you two know?”

“Futaba.” they chorused. Ren blinked.

“Oh, shit, right. She’s spying on me. That is creepy and I should have a word with her.” 

His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see a message from Futaba.

_**Futaba:** I don’t normally keep tabs this close on you but I am rn bc you’re in a foreign country. _

_**Futaba:** now go help that american ghost lady _

With a roll of the eyes, he continued and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “There. American ghost lady. She says she needs help but that it can wait until morning.”

“I have no idea what you’re all saying, but I take it these are your friends?” the lady questioned. Ren turned to her.

“Yes,” he replied in English, “they are my friends. They know.”

“Oh, shit, and it’s an English-speakin’ ghost.” Ryuji groaned.

“Don’t be rude!” Ann hissed. She stepped forward and waved a hand. “Hi! Ann Takamaki. I speak fluent English. I’m his friend; we know he can see you, but we can’t. We’ll help tomorrow morning.”

She smiled. “Thank you. Thank you so much! Where should we meet?”

“My room. 10 am... wait.” Ren frowned. “Shit. What am I going to do about Mishima?”

He switched to Japanese for the last sentence. Ryuji shrugged “It’s late. We’ll figure something out.” he dismissed with a wave of the hand. He yawned. “I wanna go back to bed...”

Ann looked where Ren was looking. “We’re going to go back go bed. Meet us here tomorrow morning. Good night.”

“See you in the morning.” the ghost bid, and disappeared. Ren turned to his friends and nodded.

“Thanks, guys. I’m surprised you got up for me.”

“We’re not making you do this alone.” Ann reassured. She yawned and wiped an eye. “What were you doing up at this time, though?”

Ren nodded toward the vending machine. “Thirsty and the room fridge didn’t have anything. I know better than to drink the tap water in a foreign country.”

“Shit. Now I’m thirsty, too.” Ryuji yawned. “They got anything with fizz?” 

* * *

“It is... _way_ too early...”

Ryuji yawned and stretched his arms up and over his head as he exited his room. The hall was still quiet, as everyone inside was getting ready to get up for role call later. Still, Ryuji had managed to get himself up, albeit groggily, to talk early with Ren about the ghost situation. The two had agreed by text to talk at the given time. 

He was going to text Ren to let him in when he saw his door slightly ajar. Ryuji shrugged to himself and entered. He closed the door behind him as he heard the shower running in the bathroom not far from the entrance.

“Oh, hey, Ren, you in there?”

He heard a response muffled under the running water and continued talking. “I did some thinkin’ on your problem. I’ll distract Mishima. I’ll say I saw some chicks with Phantom Thieves shirts or something walking around in the lobby. That’ll get his attention so you can talk in the room without him hearing. He won’t suspect a thing.” He laughed. “Pretty clever, huh? And your power to talk to ghosts stays a secret. He won’t find out that you see dead people.”

He heard a sharp gasp as the water turned off. Ryuji winced. “Whoa, you okay? Cut yourself shaving or something? Slow down, man, I don’t see Mishima— he probably went downstairs. Anyways, I know you’re bugged about this happenin’ on your vacation, but we gotta do the right thing. We’ll handle her and get back to—”

The door creaked as Mishima, a towel around his waist, slowly pushed the bathroom door open to stare, wide eyed, at Ryuji. Blood drained from the latter’s face.

“... You’re not Ren.” Ryuji squeaked. He stammered and forced a smile. “I, uh— I was just jokin’! It’s— an inside joke, between us, and...” He frowned nervously. “You... don’t believe me, do you? Okay, um...” His eyes widened and he shrugged casually. “Okay, fine, I’ll come clean! I, uh... sometimes have... delusions! Yeah. And Ren helps me—”

“Sakamoto, this isn’t working.” Mishima said bluntly. Ryuji winced.

“Oh, he’s gonna kill me.” He scratched the back of his head. “Uh... can you just pretend you didn’t hear that? It ain’t important and it’s something personal for Ren.”

“You want me to forget I just learned Amamiya... he sees...” An exceedingly giddy smile came on his face. “He... wait, so he really... sees dead people...? This explains so much...! Oh my God, this is just like _Wraith!_ I mean, I won’t tell anyone, of course, but I—”

“Lower your voice!” Ryuji hissed, holding his hands out. Mishima scoffed.

“You’re the _last_ person I want to hear that from!” he whispered back. Ryuji scowled.

“You have to be cool about this! Don’t freak out!” He put his hands on his shoulders and looked at him seriously. “Don’t effin’ tell anyone, and act casual! Ren’s gonna freak out when he finds out you know!”

Mishima gave him an incredulous look. “Seriously? _Him?_ Freak out?”

“Yes, freak out!” he snapped firmly. “He freaked when WE found out a month ago!”

Mishima stopped short and blinked.

“Wait... last month? That’s when the Phantom Thieves— but isn’t this— how you got your team name? Isn’t this related to how you guys are changing hearts?”

Ryuji shook his head as he pulled away. “Not until recently. We didn’t know until late July. He only willin’ly started using it to help us find targets then.”

The other boy began to calm down and frowned. “Wait, seriously? Why the secrecy with his own team?”

“That’s personal, man.” Ryuji huffed. “All I’ll tell you is he had a good reason to be cagey about it.” He narrowed his eyes at him. “We’re slowly getting him to accept it. He still sort of sees it as a curse, I think; we’re working to change that, so you have to be careful about this!”

“A curse...?” Mishima cocked his head to the side. “How could something so amazing be a curse?” He beamed; his voice got giddy again and his eyes lit up. His voice remained hushed, but excited. “Don’t you understand what this means?! There’s an afterlife! Magic, in some way, shape, or form, exists! He’s got the coolest power I’ve ever heard of!”

Ryuji scoffed and put his hands on his hips. “Not everyone thinks seein’ dead people is amazin’. Some people are assholes who think that people like Ren are bad luck or witches or some shit. We met a lady who’s also a dead guy whisperer and she said she was hated by her entire village until she left for Tokyo.” He scowled. “Imagine if you grew up being told you’re crazy. That’s what Ren had to put up with for his entire life.”

Ryuji took a breath and scratched the back of his neck as he looked away. Mishima was gaping before finally he closed his mouth and deflated with a guilty look in his eyes. 

“Oh.” He sighed and looked down. “I had no idea. I guess that’d do it, huh...” He looked back up at Ryuji with a serious nod. “Well, rest assured, he won’t get that treatment from me, and I won’t tell anyone. I’ll... be cool about it when we talk to him. I’m glad to hear you’re all working on changing his point of view on it.” He cleared his throat. “Anyways, what’s he having trouble w—”

The door opened. Both boys froze and spun to stare at Ren as he came in. As the door closed behind him with a creak and a thud, he gave them a quizzical look.

“Uh... what did I just walk in on? Should I leave?”

“Where were you?!” Ryuji huffed anxiously. Ren shrugged.

“Didn’t you get my text? I had to go help Kawakami-sensei with a sick student who drank the tap water. The chaperones were busy getting ready, so she had me get up early and run to the hotel gift store to grabsome sports drinks and antacids. Said I’d be back a little late, but I thought you’d see it when you woke up.” He paused. “How’d you get in here? The door was closed.”

“It was open just a crack. Probably didn’t close all the way.”

“Oh.”

All three boys went silent. Mishima was biting his lip and looking between the boys with a strange, anticipatory look. Ren frowned. “Guys...?”

Ryuji cleared his throat. “I, uh...” He scratched the back of his neck and looked away. “I effed up.”

His voice was small, almost inaudible. Ren’s eyes narrowed.

“‘Effed up’ what, Ryuji?”

Mishima silently walked backwards into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. A moment later, they could hear the fan running. Ryuji turned toward the beds. “Let’s, uh... talk over here.”

Ryuji walked stiffly toward one of the beds and sat down with the look of a man preparing for his death. Ren eyed him suspiciously as he sat opposite of him on the other bed. Ryuji’s eyes couldn’t meet his face. 

Ryuji squeezed his eyes shut. “I... um... I might have, uh... assumed that was you in the bathroom...” His voice squeaked. “And, uh... started trying to talk to you about... the ghost...” Ren’s eyes widened slowly as Ryuji exhaled sharply. “But... it wasn’t you... it was Mishima...” He gulped. “... He knows.”

“HE _WHAT?!”_

Ren slapped his hands over his mouth after the uncharacteristically loud exclamation of shock and disbelief. Ryuji winced. 

“I’m sorry, okay?! It was an accident and he says he ain’t gonna tell anyone!”

Ren let out a mortified groan as he flopped over on the bed and shoved his face into a pillow. Ryuji just sat where he was, cringing himself to near-death. A loud but somewhat muffled groan escaped Ren as he sprawled his arms and legs out on the bed like a starfish.

“Kill me...”

“Um... Amamiya...?”

Ren stiffened but didn’t pick his head up at the sound of Mishima’s voice. He just groaned into the pillow.

“Amamiya, I believe you! And I’m not going to tell anyone!”

The boy sighed and rolled over. He gave a very excited-looking and shaking Mishima, who had thrown his clothes on and come out of the bathroom, an exhausted look. “Are you serious, or are you just humoring me?”

“No, I’m serious.” He said firmly. “All those names you got last month... those targets without a living accuser. I had been wondering how that happened, but you explain everything.”

Ren sighed again and sat up, propping himself up by his arms. “Well... no use beating around the bush. We’ll talk more about this later. Can we use this room after role call? There’s, ah...”

“There’s a ghost lady who needs his help.” Ryuji explained. “Ren accidentally talked to her because he thought she was a living person. She wasn’t.”

“Of course!” Mishima affirmed with a nod. “If she needs your help, then isn’t it the Phantom Thieves’ responsibility to help?”

Ren tucked his hands in his pockets and huffed.

“Yeah... apparently, it is.”

* * *

Mishima had the tact to leave the room he shared with Ren when the others showed up. The looks Ann and Makoto were giving a nervous Ryuji frightened the Phansite manager, too, and fled.

He wasn’t sure what happened after that. Mishima didn’t see Ren again until he returned to the room after evening role call. While he avoided meeting Mishima’s eyes, he otherwise still had his poker face on as he settled in bed.

Mishima, several times, felt the urge to say something, but came up short. He wasn’t quite sure what to say without making Amamiya uncomfortable. While he didn’t look it, Mishima could feel the discomfort rolling off of him.

Eventually, he turned on the TV in the room to try to distract himself. The news came on; while the anchors were in English, he could follow what they were saying for the most part. They started off by announcing the weather for the next day before cutting off to breaking news.

_“Breaking news,”_ an anchorman said grimly, _“the search for a missing woman has taken a tragic end. Naomi Read of Long Beach, California, was found dead two days after her disappearance. An anonymous tip led investigators to her belongings buried in the sand of Makapuu beach. Local rescue workers soon afterwards found her body in shallow water not far from the shore. It is believed she drowned after going surfing in off-hours.”_

Ren turned over on his bed while Mishima sat upright to pay close attention. _“Among Read’s belongings was a note that indicated who it belonged to, and that she had gone surfing to clear her head after losing a job offer. The disappearance a week ago, initially considered foul play, has been deemed an accident. A suspect associated with the case has been cleared of suspicion and released. Here is what he had to say.”_

The news cut to a young, teary-eyed man. _“While I’m relieved to be free and acquitted of her disappearance, I am heartbroken to know that Naomi is dead. She was my everything. I don’t know how I’m going to move on from this. My only solace is knowing she died doing something she loved.”_

Mishima looked over at Ren, whose back was facing him. The boy bit his lip and hesitated when Ren spoke up.

“Yes, that was me.” he huffed. “She told us where to find her belongings. Moved on after her fiancé was released from jail. It’s sad, but it’s over. We carried on with our day after anonymously calling police with what we found. That’s all.”

“That’s all—” Mishima sputtered. “Amamiya, your power freed an innocent man from jail and allowed her to move on to the afterlife!”

“Mhm. Turn off the light when you’re done.”

The boy deflated and sighed softly as he nodded and turned off the TV. He switched the lights off a moment later and pulled the blankets over himself. He sat in the pitch black silence for awhile as his mind buzzed with excitement. 

He wanted to ask so many questions, sing so many praises over his power, but he could feel the discomfort radiating from Amamiya. 

_ “... All I’ll tell you is he had a good reason to be cagey about it.” _

A twinge of pity hit him, and after a long pause, he spoke hesitantly.

“Hey, um... Ren?”

There was a pause, then a sigh. “Yeah?”

There was an awkward silence before Mishima cleared his throat and continued.

“Listen, for— for what I think it’s worth, I think you have a... I’m just going to say it, a gift. A blessing— the farthest thing from a curse. And... I don’t think you should feel embarrassed. At all. You helped today; helped someone who no one else could. Saved and freed a man accused of something he didn’t do. You’re amazing, and I’m lucky to call you a friend.”

Ren was glad the darkness hid his face.

“Oh.” he croaked. “Thank you...” 

“You don’t have to thank me.” Mishima reassured. “I know you’re still struggling with yourself, but count me in your corner.” There was a pause. “Um... can I... ask some questions?”

There was a sigh, and Mishima cringed. “I— I mean, you don’t have to, I totally get it, I just—”

“Go ahead,” Ren finally grumbled, “but I reserve the right to refuse to answer any question.”

“O—Okay.” He cleared his throat. “Alright. So. Um. What’s...” His voice dropped to a whisper. “What’s it... like?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean...” A grumble escaped him as he fought for words. “What is it like, talking to ghosts? What do they look like? How do they sound?”

“Oh.” Ren paused. “They, uh... they just look and sound like how they did when they were alive. I honestly can’t tell the difference until I see them do something like walk through a solid object or they flat out tell me they’re a ghost. I’ve mistaken ghosts for living people several times. Like last night.”

“Oh.” Mishima said plainly. “Huh. Okay. So, uh... can they change they way they look? Is what they’re wearing what they died in? What if someone died in a fursuit? Would their ghost be wearing a fursuit?”

Ren went silent.

“I... I don’t know. Haven’t thought about it.” He grimaced. “Oh my _God_ , that’s a horrifying thought.”

Mishima shuddered. “What if it really is just what you died in, and you’re stuck in a fursuit until you...” He paused. “Uh, what happens to them?”

“They pass on. As soon as whatever is worrying them is handled, they sort of disappear into bright light. There’s a gust of air and then they’re gone. I don’t know what happens to them after that.”

“It must be some sort of afterlife,” Mishima reasoned excitedly, “you see light, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Then maybe it’s Heaven! Maybe Heaven really exists...!”

“Maybe. I don’t know what the afterlife looks like or what exactly happens when they move on.” Ren huffed. “I don’t know what governs it— God or gods or something else. In any case, once they cross over, they can’t come back, so I can’t ask them.”

“So it’s a one-way trip.” Mishima shuddered with excitement. “Okay, next question. Do ghosts show up in recordings or pictures?”

Ren paused. He reached for his phone. “Hang on.” he grunted as he texted someone. A few moments later, his phone buzzed. He hummed to himself. “Okay, the answer for pictures is no.” He pressed the screen. Mishima heard the sound of the humming of a server in the background, but no voices. Ren blinked. “But weirdly enough, yes on the recording. My, uh... adoptive sister of sorts took a picture and a short clip of her mom for me.”

“How did she know she was there if she can’t see her, though?”

Ren shrugged. “You can feel them touching you, sort of. It feels cold. She said she patted her arm in accordance to her instructions to make sure she had her present.” He flinched as he saw the figure of Wakaba appear in the darkness. In spite of the darkness, he could see her clear as day smiling at him. “Oh.”

“‘Oh’ what?”

Ren got a smirk on his face. “You know what, I think you can get a demo of that right now. Looks like her mom came. Please give Mishima a pat on the head, Isshiki-san.”

“Sure thing.” Wakaba giggled, and approached a bemused Mishima. She reached out to pat him on the head and ruffle his hair. The boy’s eyes shot wide open and he yelped as he jerked back from her hand.

“Oh my God.” he gasped and laughed. “That was so cool! Do it again!”

Wakaba rolled her eyes and patted his head again. Mishima jolted but smiled. “Wow! This is amazing!”

“I’m going home.” Wakaba said as she turned to Ren. “Futaba told me to go see you, and to be honest, I missed you. Is this good?”

“That’s good. Thank you, Isshiki-san.”

The ghost nodded and disappeared while Mishima continued to vibrate with excitement. “Ren... your very existence is amazing.” He beamed. “You prove the existence of life after death! I’m fascinated!”

“Wish I could feel the same.” he muttered, not thinking Mishima would hear. 

“Oh...”

There was his voice, soft and pitying. His excitement had banked into sadness. Ren grimaced.

“Shit. I didn’t say that. You heard nothing.”

There was a long pause. Ren hoped he had fallen asleep when he heard his voice again.

“Does... this have anything to do with why you were so glum coming here?”

Ren hesitated, then sighed. “... Yeah. Let’s just say... there are people who are close to me that wish I wasn’t like this.”

“Amamiya-kun...”

“It’s fine.” he dismissed with a huff. “Besides, I’m around people now who don’t think I’m a lunatic, so... yeah. It worked out.”

“That doesn’t mean you should—” Mishima huffed. “Look, Sakamoto told me that he and the other Phantom Thieves were helping you with this. Let them. We all believe in you, Amamiya. The people who like you for you are important... more so than blood relatives. You can’t pick who you’re related to, but you can pick your friends and family.”

Ren blinked in the darkness.

“Did you just give me a pep talk?”

There was a nervous laugh from Mishima.

“... Yeah, guess I did. I just... figured even heroes sometimes need a little reassurance, so... hope I wasn’t overstepping.”

There was a pause, then a genuine laugh from Ren. “Well, then... thank you. Never thought I’d hear that sort of thing from you. Good night, Mishima.”

Mishima smiled to himself.

“Night, Amamiya.” 


	3. The Hanged Man’s Son

It took Ren awhile to work up the guts, but eventually, he was able to ask their gun dealer about the pimped-out gun in a bag he had shoved his way after he sold the medal. He almost asked about it then when two cops showed up; he couldn’t move fast enough to get out when he saw them.

Morgana prodded him several times until in early June, he caved in and tentatively asked Iwai about the gun mods. 

Iwai seemed almost amused as he tried to intimidate him, but Ren managed to stand his ground. Finally, the man agreed to supply the mods... in exchange for his help. Ren agreed, and a new contract was sealed.

He had helped him out a few times (once spying on some Yakuza, a man named Masa; he found it frightening and exciting alike) and was helping him close up for the night when a boy a bit younger than Ren peered in. He stood out among the hardcore gun merchandise as an unassuming, clean-cut short kid with glasses that peered at Iwai anxiously. 

Behind him was a ragged-looking, pale and gaunt woman in dirty-looking, stretched out clothes. Her hair was thin and her eyes were baggy, but she followed the boy dutifully. She glanced between the boy and Iwai, who scowled and stood up.

“Kaoru, you need to go home.”

“But...” Kaoru looked down and wrung his fingers, as if he wanted to say something else. The woman behind him patted his shoulder, which he shivered at.

“Oh, Kaoru, let’s go home. You know your father is a stubborn old mule.”

Ren frowned at them, then Iwai. “Why are you being so rude to them?”

Iwai’s brows lifted. “‘Them?’” He shook his head. “Anyways, stay out of this.”

“You’re being rude to the kid, and...” Ren squinted at her. “Who’s the lady with you?”

Kaoru’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped, as did the woman’s jaw behind him. To his side, he could hear Iwai choke. 

Ren felt his heart stop and his blood freeze in his veins.

“... Kidding.” he lied quickly, stiffening. “Well, sorry, I have to go—”

“You see her, too, don’t you?” Kaoru breathed. He gasped out loud. “You’re... you’re like me!”

“I’m a ghost.” the woman said bluntly. Ren stammered awkwardly and held his hands up.

“Uh... that’s...”

Iwai shook his head. “Cut the shit, kid. No point in hiding.”

Ren gaped between the three with wide eyes as he took a step back. Iwai’s expression had gone from brief shock to a resigned exhaustion while his son lit up like a Christmas tree. The woman with him started smiling, too.

“How... what...”

“He knows. It’s okay.” Kaoru reassured softly, as if he was trying to soothe a scared animal. He stepped forward. “I see ghosts, too. You don’t have to be afraid.”

Ren’s mouth opened and closed a few times helplessly. The world felt like it was spinning as he lowered his hands. He didn’t even realize he was breathing harshly when Iwai put a hand on his shoulder.

“Easy, kid. Nothin’ is wrong. We know all about this sorta stuff.”

Ren blinked at him, bewildered. Finally, he deflated, and meekly nodded. 

“... Okay.”

Kaoru beamed. “I almost never meet people like me! What great luck! We have so much to talk about!”

“I—” Ren took a breath. “Er... I don’t mean to offend you or anything, but it’s sort of a... sensitive subject for me. I’m tired; I’d be willing to talk with you about it in the future, but I want to go home.”

Kaoru deflated, but nodded. “I— Okay. Can we exchange numbers?”

“One thing at a time, Kaoru.” Iwai nodded and turned to him. “You’ll keep working here, right? You can talk to him some night during a shift.”

Ren toyed with a lock of hair. “If you still want me around...”

His boss shrugged. “If anything, this is just more points in your favor.” 

The boy smiled weakly and sighed in relief. “Thanks.” He turned to Kaoru. “I’m sorry, it’s nothing personal. I just, uh... well, let me just say that you’re lucky. Really lucky, to have a dad like him.”

Kaoru blinked. “Why, are your parents—“

“Kaoru!” Iwai snapped. At Ren’s bewildered expression, Kaoru and Iwai alike cringed. Kaoru flushed.

“Sorry...”

“No harm done.” Ren looked to the woman. “Pardon me. I’m Iwai’s new part timer. You are?”

“I’m Hana, Kaoru’s mother. Iwai is his adoptive father.” the woman said with a bow. “Pleasure to meet you...”

“I’m Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you, Hana.”

He could hear Iwai shift awkwardly. Hana and Kaoru departed, the bell over the door jingling after them. After a moment, Ren let out a quiet sigh. 

“... Sorry about that.” he muttered awkwardly. “I... should get out of your hair.”

Iwai uncrossed his arms and cleared his throat. “Jeez... wouldn’t have imagined you’d be like Kaoru.” He shrugged. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it; don’t get me wrong.”

Ren hesitated before he looked up to give the man a sheepish look. He nodded. “T—Thanks. Sorry, I’m just... not used to people being this calm about it.” 

“I’ve had fourteen years to get used to it.” Iwai scoffed with a shake of the head. “Doesn’t bother me or nothin’, not anymore.”

The boy smiled weakly. “Thanks for not making it weird and walking on eggshells.”

“Eh.” Iwai cleared his throat. “I wasn’t anticipatin’ on havin’ this chat with you, but, uh...” He pushed the lollipop stick in his mouth to the side and crossed his arms. “Listen, don’t ask too much about the family situation. It’s... yeah. Just... don’t ask.”

“Duly noted.” Ren said as he scratched the back of his neck. “None of my business.”

“Damn right it’s none of your business.” Iwai uncrossed his arms and cleared his throat. He scratched the back of his neck. “Listen, I’m not... good at this sorta thing, but I’d appreciate it if you kept working here and talkin’ to Kaoru sometimes. He has no one like him to talk to about, uh... ghost... stuff.”

Ren nodded. “Well... sure.”

Iwai cocked his head to the side. “Do your parents know about this?” 

“... Um.”

“... You know what, don’t tell me.” Iwai winced. “I get the picture. Anyways, head on home. I’ll see you another night.”

* * *

Ren expected things to be awkward the next time he hung out with Iwai, but the man was calm. He didn’t seem bothered in the slightest or uncomfortable. The man didn’t even bring it up, and so Ren decided not to bring it up, either. 

At least, it wasn’t until closing time he brought it up. When everything was locked down and put away, Iwai cleared his throat and asked to talk in the back. Ren agreed, and found himself facing his boss as his lips twitched anxiously.

“... So, uh.” Iwai coughed and pinched the brim of his cap. “There’s no real not-awkward way of askin’ this, and if I’m oversteppin’, tell me. Do you mind if I ask you a bit about, you know, uh... seein’ dead people?” He crossed his arms. “I’m... not like you and Kaoru, and I want to help him, but I don’t really know how...”

Ren shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m the best example, but I’ll do my best. You’re already doing the most important thing, which is accepting him for what he is. I didn’t get that much even from my own parents.”

Iwai grimaced. “That’s rough, kid. I don’t know how anyone could watch their kid grow up and not realize it’s the truth.” He shook his head. “It started when he was real young, barely able to walk on his own. Soon as he was talkin’, he started talkin’ to people I knew weren’t there. People who  couldn’t be there. Names of people I  knew were dead, who I had never mentioned to him, and never would have. When he was three, he started seeing his mom I had never told him about. He didn’t even notice I couldn’t see them.” He sighed and shook his head. “I took him to a few doctors. They couldn’t find anything wrong with him, which was when I was contacted by a group called the Tokyo Whisperer’s Organization. They explained his... condition to me.” He scowled. “Then they fucked off, never to be heard from again.”

“It’s probably because of your history.” Ren said bluntly. “I know another person like us who got kicked out by them. They keep anyone who they think could bring them adverse attention away. So, uh... given your past with the yakuza...”

Iwai scowled. “So they won’t help him because I’m his dad, huh...” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m bringing that kid nothing but trouble.”

“Fuck them,” Ren snapped bitterly, “I have a criminal record for being blamed for something I didn’t even do, and they know that. They still won’t help me because I have a record and don’t want the adverse attention. They’re just paranoid assholes.”

“Damn right. Fuck ‘em.” Iwai crossed his arms. “... So, a criminal record, huh?”

Ren blanched. “Shit.”

Iwai barked out a laugh and put his hands on his sides. “Don’t sweat it, I don’t give a shit. What’s it for?”

The boy grimaced. “This ghost lady begged me to save her sister, who a rich guy was trying to abduct. So I stepped in and put a hand on the rich guy’s shoulder. Rich guy tripped and cried assault. Lady was scared of him and testified that I did. Her sister promptly fucked off, never to be seen again.”

Iwai scowled. “Motherfucker. What a bunch of assholes; this is why I hate rich people and cops.” He sighed. “That’s rough, kid. Anyways, we’re off topic.” He cleared his throat. “So, uh... what could your parents have done to help you, aside from acceptin’ you for this?”

Ren shrugged. “They really could have just provided an ear and some attention that wasn’t judgmental. That, and taught me how and when I should keep my mouth shut. It’s okay to be open with those you trust, but no one else needs to know. Period.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Few people as possible should know.”

“That’s already basically our policy.” Iwai agreed, scratching his chin. He sighed. “People are real assholes to people who’re different.”

Ren smiled wryly. “I imagine learning all of this freaked you out, though.”

Iwai scoffed and shrugged. “I’d be lyin’ if I said that wasn’t the case, but that’s in the past. I got over it.”

Ren looked away for a moment. Finally, he huffed and looked back up. “There’s, uh... one other thing.” Iwai gave him a quizzical look as he spoke up. “You call it a ‘condition.’ I... would not do that. It sounds awkward and like there’s something wrong with us that needs to be treated.”

Iwai grimaced. “Oh. Shit. I didn’t even— okay, yeah, good point.” He crossed his arms. “Okay. Thanks.” He paused and pinched the brim of his cap. He exhaled sharply. “Listen. There’s something you should know about Kaoru’s mom. She was a drug addict, big time. The reason I got him was because she was trying to pawn him off for drug money and ditched him with me when I refused.” He sighed. “She showed up when he was still a toddler. Guess she OD’ed. She’s been helping raise him since—I guess dying clears your head—but I don’t know how much she’s told him.” He nodded. “That’s why I need you to do something for me...”

* * *

“Amamiya-kun, do you think my dad... hates me?”

Ren winced. Five minutes in to their trip to the diner, and Kaoru was already dropping the heavy questions. Ren shook his head. 

“He definitely doesn’t hate you, Kaoru-kun.” He smiled softly. “He’s been asking me a lot about you-know-what. Says he wants to understand and help you more. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care about you.”

Kaoru shrugged. “I—I know, but... he’s so stern...”

“I really think that’s just his personality.” Ren took a sip of the coffee he had ordered and set it back down on the diner table. “He reminds me a little bit of my guardian. Acts tough, but there’s a heart under all of that. They’re just jaded by the world.”

“Hmm.” Kaoru nodded. “Okay.” He sighed and gripped the sleeve of his shirt and looked down at the table as he crossed his arms. “... Dad claims that he was a family friend that took me in after my parents died, and that’s the thing. Where is the ghost of my biological father if that’s the case? Did he really think I wouldn’t figure out they’re both hiding something? Why don’t they trust me?”

“I don’t think that’s it.” Ren said with a shake of the head. “He’s ashamed of his past. Told me so. I think he’s afraid of disappointing you, Kaoru. Not the other way around.”

The younger teen’s face softened. His shoulders relaxed a bit. “Oh.” he breathed. His eyes softened as he looked up. “Why would I be ashamed of him? Even if he did bad stuff in the past... that’s not who he is now.”

Ren sighed. “It’s hard to face an ugly past, Kaoru. The last people you want disappointed in you are often the ones who need to know the most, and, well...” He shook her head. “It’s not easy.”

“Oh.” 

An awkward silence passed. “Mom... she’s been more and more distant lately.” He sighed and frowned as he looked at Ren. “I think... she’s preparing to move on soon. And she’s trying to prepare me.”

“Oh.” Ren frowned. “I’m... sorry to hear that. Are you okay?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really know. Mom hasn’t always been perfect, but she’s my mom, you know? She’s said recently that I don’t need her anymore, and...” He paused and shook his head. “You know what, that’s enough about me. Sorry for bringing down the mood.” He clasped his hands together. “Thanks, Amamiya-kun.” He peered at him curiously. “So... how is it for you? Were you born able to do this?”

Ren nodded. “Yeah. Iwai’s told me it was the same for you?”

Kaoru nodded. “Mhm. Mom says my biological dad was like me. I never met him, but... I have no reason to assume she’s lying about that.” He leaned his head into his hand. “It’s not very exciting. I occasionally chat with ghosts I see, but my dad doesn’t let me do too much to help them. He doesn’t want me getting involved with anything that could get me adverse attention.”

“I sort of understand that.” Ren shrugged. “There might be times where... you have to act as a mediator. Your dad probably doesn’t want you to have to deal with that. Not at your age. No offense.”

“I’m not a child, but... I see.” His lips pursed and he looked down. He looked as though he was deep in thought and hesitant when the elder boy sighed.

“At least your dad tolerates you talking to ghosts. My parents don’t believe me and got pissed if they caught me doing that. I had no one until I moved to Tokyo.”

Kaoru cringed.

“Oh, that’s terrible... I’m sorry.” He sighed and pushed his glasses up. “Why do people fear us? Fear ghosts? Who have we ever hurt?”

Ren shook his head as he leaned his head against his clasped hands, his elbows bent on the table. “People fear what they don’t understand. I think most people, because they can’t see what we do, can’t become familiar with it or learn about it. Ignorance leads to fear. Fear leads to hatred. Hatred leads to violence.”

“You’re painfully right.” Kaoru looked away with a face as though he had something he wanted to say. He looked up behind Ren, who followed his gaze to see Iwai approaching, his hands in the pockets of his coat.

“Hey. You two have a good chat?”

“We were talking about girls.” Ren said with a wry smile. Kaoru pouted as Iwai barked out a laugh.

“GAH! We were not!”

“Sure you weren’t... heartbreaker.” 

_ “DAD!” _

Iwai snorted at his son’s indignation and smiled. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s getting late and I closed up shop already. Let’s get going, Kaoru.”

The boy nodded and stood up. “Alright.” He inclined his head toward Ren. “Thanks for talking.”

“Anytime.”

The two departed, and Ren allowed himself to take a relieved breath and close his eyes for a moment.

“How do you think I should tell him?”

Ren jumped a bit and blinked his eyes open to see Kaoru’s mother had taken his place opposite him. The teenage boy rubbed his eyes and groaned.

“You should be up front.”

“Yeah, but Iwai told you what I did.” She looked down in shame. “He doesn’t deserve a mother like me. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell him what an awful mother I was when I was alive so I can move on and be out of his hair, but...”

“It’s scary, and... you don’t really want to leave him, do you?”

Hana huffed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what I want. I’m dead, and all dead have to move on eventually. What Kaoru needs is what matters. Iwai will come to his senses and tell him about his past, and they’ll be happy together. He doesn’t need me. Iwai is the father he deserves.”

Ren was silent for awhile before heaving a sigh.

“... You know, you did mess up. Big time. But as soon as you were dead and free of the chains of addiction, you went for your son immediately. Am I right?”

“Well, yes, but...”

“Then admit it. Admit to what you did. Acknowledge why it was wrong—no excuses.” He leaned against his hands again. “Kaoru isn’t obligated to forgive you for that, but a sincere apology—a truly sincere apology—is a step in the right direction.” He leaned his forehead against his clasped hands as he looked down at the table. “If my parents came forward and finally accepted me, I wouldn’t have to forgive them for what they did, but I would feel like... we could finally move forward.”

Hana frowned. “Your parents deny your gift, correct? Are you certain that it’s flat-out denial? Or could they be hiding something worse?”

Ren picked his head up to give her a quizzical look. “What are you saying?”

“I’m not saying for sure this is what happened, but... only an idiot could watch their child grow up speaking to ghosts and not realize it’s true.” She frowned. “What if your parents know and are lying to you? What would you do?”

Ren blinked a few times before shaking his head fervently.

“No. They wouldn’t. They’re fools, but they’re not that rotten as to lie to me my whole life...” He paused and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I think.”

“Let’s say for the sake of this, that is the case. How would you react if they came forward with it?”

Ren hesitated.

“... I’d be pissed,” he finally admitted, “pissed and betrayed. Even if they were sorry, I don’t know if I could bring myself to forgive them, much less move forward.”

Hana grimaced and sighed. “I appreciate your honesty. Kaoru is probably going to feel the same way about me, but... I can’t keep hiding this from him. Maybe it would be best if he was mad at me, anyways—I don’t want him to mourn me.”

Ren scowled. “Hang on, this is a totally different situation! I mean, sure, I’d be pissed with you, but at least you came to your senses relatively quickly and tried to do what you could to fix things before it was too late. That means more than people who know what they did was wrong but didn’t do anything to try to make up for it!”

“Is it really that different?” Hana looked away. “... Thanks for talking, Amamiya-kun. I should go now.”

She vanished. Ren sat there quietly, staring at the tabletop, at his cold coffee until a waitress came.

“Everything alright?”

Ren shook his head and looked up. 

“Another cup of coffee, please.”

* * *

Several months later, and Ren was left traumatized.

He masked it well, as he always did. Ren put on a brave face and said he was fine. He let the mask down in front of Makoto, but he was still in pain in the days following his parents’ change of heart. His chest ached as he remembered the injustice he had been subjected to. It was something he didn’t expect time would ever heal.

His patience was paper-thin when he and Iwai met with his old yakuza clan member, Tsuda, in a graffiti-lined underpass. Hana hung out to the side, watching the spectacle go down.

Iwai had tried to stand up to him, but in the end, Tsuda had the edge. He held them at gunpoint and made it clear that if he didn’t get his fake guns for a deal that fell through, that his witness and his son would pay.

After he left, Iwai didn’t get so much as a word out before Ren spoke.

“What’s Tsuda’s full name?” he demanded impatiently. Iwai scowled.

“Jesus, what’s gotten into you? Why do you wanna know that? His name is Akimitsu Tsuda, but what’s with you?”

“Don’t worry about it, and don’t make those guns.” Ren snapped. He was about to walk off when Iwai grabbed him by the arm.

“Whatever you’re doing, don’t be an idiot.” he scolded. “You’re mad about something that ain’t this. Don’t do shit when you’re mad. You’ll just make it worse.”

“What, like you and Hana have for repeatedly lying to Kaoru?” he snapped as he jerked his arm away from Iwai. Both parents looked scandalized as he huffed. “He deserves to know the truth. Neither of you are protecting him by hiding the truth. Tell him exactly what’s going on. I’m not going to do anything to Tsuda, but wait a day before you start making those guns.”

He started walking away as Iwai gaped at him. Hana scowled. “What the hell happened to you? Where do you get off judging us like that?”

Ren spun on his heel to glare at her. “I get off judging you as a kid who recently learned he had been lied to for his entire life. Your mess at least isn’t about an integral part of your son’s identity, just your own, but don’t go further down that route!”

He panted. Iwai looked between where he had been looking and at the boy proper while Hana’s face fell.

“... It’s as I suspected, isn’t it?”

“Ren. What happened?” Iwai asked bluntly.

Ren shoved his hands in his pockets and huffed. “... Just wait a day.”

With that, he walked off. Iwai stared after him for a moment before sighing and putting a hand to the brim of his cap.

“Hana, what the hell’s gotten into that kid?... Don’t answer me ‘cuz I can’t hear you.” He sighed and looked down. “... I hate that he’s right.”

* * *

The change of heart was a simple matter as it always was. A trip to Mementos the following day made quick work of Tsuda. Several days later, Ren was summoned by Iwai to the back room of Untouchable. He was fixing Ren with a suspicious, but notangry look. 

“Tsuda rang me up awhile back. Told me to forget everythin’ he was threatenin’ me with. I thought it was a joke, but I ain’t heard from him since.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. “Y’know, when we talked, it almost felt like I was talkin’ to the old Tsuda. My sworn brother...” He opened his eyes and focused on a calm Ren, who had tucked his hands in his pockets. “Did you have somethin’ to do with it?”

Ren shrugged. “No clue. Just posted the name on the Phantom Thieves’ fansite. Looks like we got lucky and they took the job.”

Iwai blinked at him. “The Phantom Thieves...” His eyes widened, then narrowed. “Wait a fuckin’ second.” After a moment’s shock, he smiled wryly. “You sly son of a bitch!”

“No idea what you’re referring to.” Ren demurred playfully. 

“Hah!” Iwai shook his head. “It ain’t none of my concern, and I ain’t complaining. You really had me fooled... all that enthusiast stuff was just BS.” He paused. “... But what are you doin’ with my guns? You need a real weapon in a fight.”

“Do you actually want to know the supernatural bullshit going on with us?”

After a moment’s pause, Iwai groaned and shook his head. “No,” he groused, “I don’t. I think I’ve had enough with the shit you and Kaoru do plus Hana bugging me in the weird way ghosts do. Anyways, thanks; my lips are sealed.” He paused again and uncrossed his arms. “Listen. Maybe this ain’t my place to be askin’ this, but... what was with that reaction you had last week? Ain’t never seen you that upset.”

Ren hesitated for a good few seconds, sighed, and looked away with a sour look on his face. “... Normally I wouldn’t be telling you this, but I have a reason. Not long before that encounter with Tsuda, I found out my parents had been lying to me and manipulating me my entire life. They knew from the very start before I was even out of diapers that I could see ghosts. They basically said they didn’t want me to embarrass them.”

“Jesus fucking _Christ_.” Iwai scowled; his fists clenched. “That’s a fuckin’ _sick_ thing to do to your kid. Pretty sure if I were you, I’d never speak to them again.”

“Believe me when I say I was strongly considering cutting them off for life when they came to apologize. They finally agreed to leave me be while I cool off and think about how I want to proceed with them.”

“You’re bein’  _ way _ more merciful than I would be.”

Ren sighed heavily and shrugged as he looked back up at Iwai. “That aside, let me get to why I told you all that. Why I snapped.”

“You want me to tell Kaoru the truth.” Iwai surmised with a grim look. The boy nodded. 

“The full truth. While your shit isn’t anywhere remotely close to what my parents did, don’t lie to your kid. The truth may hurt, but it hurts even worse if you hide it.”

Iwai stared at him for a few moments. Finally, he pinched the brim of his cap and hung his head. “... You’re right. I’m being a big ol’ coward. Kaoru doesn’t deserve that.” He lowered his hand and looked back at Ren. “The only problem is his mom. She’ll lose her damn mind if I spill the beans; come back tomorrow. I’m gonna tell Kaoru to have her come to the shop so we can have a little chat. I need you to to make it clear to her for me that if she doesn’t agree to tell him about herself that I’ll do tell him—whether she likes it or not.”

* * *

Hana was, to say the least, unhappy with the ultimatum, but reluctantly agreed to tell the truth when Iwai got a bone-chilling call. Kaoru had been taken hostage.

That was how they found themselves in the Seaside Park late at night. Kaoru was at knifepoint by one of his father’s old associates, Masa, while Ren and Iwai looked on in horror. Hana stood by her son’s side the whole time, whispering at him to keep calm while glaring at Iwai.

“... Let Kaoru go.” Iwai snapped coldly.

“Take it easy, Mune-san.” Masa demurred smugly. “All I did was give him a friendly ride from cram school.” He grinned toothily at a silent, nervous Kaoru. “Ain’t that right, Kaoru-kun?”

Kaoru looked away. “Dad... I’m sorry. He got the knife out when I resisted.”

Masa smiled at Iwai. “Great kid, isn’t he? Nothin’ like his mom.”

“Cut the bullshit.” Ren snapped firmly. Masa gave him a bored look.

“And who’re you, Mune-san’s little errand boy?” He paused. “Wait... I remember you. The weirdo from the diner.“

“I said let Kaoru go!” Iwai snapped. Hana glared at him.

“Don’t provoke him! This Yakuza bastard will... oh, shit, you can’t hear me, and Kaoru can’t translate. Ren—”

“Mom says don’t provoke him.” Ren whispered. Iwai scowled.

“I know what I’m doing. Masa—“

“Fuck off. I heard you the first time.”

Iwai narrowed his eyes. “So what are you gonna make me do?”

“Great question. You know those modded guns you were gonna give Tsuda? It’d be real nice to get my hands on ‘em. There’s a lieutenant spot open now that Tsuda’s gone, but I still need to prove my worth before I can get it. And you’re gonna help me do just that.”

Iwai scoffed and crossed his arms. “Sorry, Masa, but you got real shitty timin’. We already broke down the guns. There’s nothin’ left.”

“DON’T BE AN IDIOT!” Hana howled. Ren and Kaoru alike winced, and Masa shuddered. He shivered, drawing a smirk from Iwai.

“Cold?”

“Shuttup, it’s just the way the weather is.” he said, though his voice wavered with anxiety. “Anyways, you think that’s gonna dissuade me? You know, I know everything about Kaoru-kun’s situation...”

Iwai and Hana’s eyes widened. “What...?!” Hana gasped. Iwai grit his teeth.

“Fine, then it comes out now! Kaoru, I’m not a family friend. I was yakuza before I started raising you. I didn’t want to tell you, but Ren convinced me to fess up.”

“Dad...”

Masa scoffed. “It ain’t just your dad’s past, kid. I bet he lied to you about where you came from, too.”

Kaoru froze. Time seemed to slow down as Ren looked at Hana, who looked at him. He nodded, and she took a breath and spoke.

“I was a drug addict!” she cried as Kaoru flinched. “I was so desperate for drug money that I tried to pawn you off on Iwai and then ran off! I died awhile later from an overdose! I’m sorry!”

Kaoru gasped; his eyes widened. “Mom...”

Iwai looked at Ren, who nodded swiftly. The man crossed his arms at an increasingly-confused Masa. “He knows that.”

Kaoru sucked in a breath and nodded shakily. “... Yeah. Masa also tried to tell me I’m a burden, but—”

“No, you’re not!”

“I know that now!” Kaoru cried, his face reddening with stinging tears. “Neither of you wanted to disappoint me, so... you were both... you both kept everything a secret for so long. For my sake.”

“It was stupid of us for sure, but you’ve never been a burden.” Hana agreed. Kaoru grit his teeth and clenched a fist.

“Both of you made mistakes, but... this doesn’t change anything. I’m still proud of both of you.” He nodded tearfully. “I’m not a child anymore, and I won’t let stupid secrets like that get to me!”

“Kaoru...” Hana gasped, her eyes widening. Iwai blinked.

“Kaoru!”

“So what if my mom used to be a drug addict?! So what if my father was yakuza?! They made mistakes, bettered themselves, and came when it mattered! I’m proud to be connected not by blood, but by the gecko!” 

His mother sobbed and smiled while Iwai gaped. A small smile grew on Iwai’s face.

“Heh...” He turned to Masa. “Let’s put an end to this and start fresh. Is this really what you want?”

Masa scowled. “You don’t get it, do you?! Kaoru-kun—”

“No, Masa. You’re the one who doesn’t get it.”

Masa spun on his heel to see Tsuda approaching in a suit and tie. His eyes were masked by sunglasses, but he was clearly displeased by his downturned lips. He pulled a gun out and pointed the barrel at a startled Tsuda.

“You’ve really fucked up this time.”

“Tsuda...?!” Iwai gasped.

“T—Tsuda... I mean, sir?!” Masa quailed, shrinking back.

“Don’t give me that. I know you ratted me out to the boss. You never have been good at keeping your mouth shut.”

“N—No, it wasn’t me!”

“Uh-huh. And what do you think you’re doing waving that knife around?”

Masa lowered the knife and shook. “I—I’m sorry!”

Tsuda offered a brief smile to Kaoru and his father. “Your kid’s got some guts, Mune. Like father like son, huh?”

“Looks like it.” Iwai grunted. “So what now?”

Tsuda shrugged. “Well, I’m gonna start by making this idiot repay his debts. I haven’t thought much about what comes after. All I really have to say is this is where we say goodbye, Mune.”

Iwai nodded briefly. “... Take care, brother.”

Tsuda headed off with Masa at gunpoint. Everyone let out a breath, and Kaoru and his mother approached Iwai.

“You okay, Kaoru?”

Kaoru nodded coolly. “I’m fine.” He looked between his mother and father. “Mom was telling me that you both had stuff you wanted to say to me tonight. Was that all of it?”

Iwai scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I can’t hear your mom like you can, but you know about me, now. And her. You know we’re a pair of fuck-ups.”

“That’s not true.”

The response came swiftly and firmly in equal measure. Both parents snapped to attention, wide-eyed. “Kaoru...!” Hana gasped. Kaoru turned to his mother with a shake of the head.

“You made mistakes. _Big ones_ that I’m not necessarily obligated to forgive you for. But as soon as your mind was cleared, you came for me. You’ve been here for... how many years? Eleven or twelve? To help my dad take care of me. You’ve watched over me. You haven’t moved on into the light for my sake.” He smiled softly. “I know you regret it. I know I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sort if mad about it, but I know... you owned up to it without any excuses.”

Hana beamed. “Oh, Kaoru... that’s more than I deserve. Thank you...”

Kaoru nodded and turned to his stunned father. “And as for you... your past doesn’t bother me. That’s not who you are now. You’re a business owner and entrepreneur doing his best now. A father who accepts the more... unique part of my identity. And that’s what matters to me.”

Iwai let out a sigh, closed his eyes. and shook his head, but he smiled all the same. “Kaoru...”

Ren, who had been silent, looked over as light began to envelop Hana. Kaoru followed his gaze and frowned. “Mom. Is it time?”

“... I think so.” She smiled tearfully. “Please don’t cry. We’ll meet again one day, and I know you’ll be okay.”

Kaoru sucked in a breath. His chin quivered. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” She became a blinding figure of light. “... Iwai, I leave him to you. Goodbye, Kaoru. I love you.”

Ren and Kaoru shielded their eyes as the light intensified. With a gust of air, the light faded, and she was gone. Kaoru and Ren were left to stare after where she had been while Iwai awkwardly cleared his throat.

“I know that feeling. She’s gone, isn’t she?”

Kaoru sniffled and wiped his nose. “... She is. That was the last thing holding her here. She can finally rest.” He pulled his glasses off and wiped his eyes with a shuddering breath. “I knew this was coming. She told me not to cry, but...”

“Hey. This ain’t goodbye forever, right?” Iwai reminded him. Kaoru smiled weakly at him.

“... You’re right. Rest for now, Mom...” He turned to Ren and bowed. “Thank you for talking sense into them.”

“It was nothing.” Ren reassured with a shrug and a wave of the hand. Kaoru smiled.

“This is what we were made to do, right? Help those who can’t be heard...” He nodded to himself. “I’ve made up my mind. When I’m older, I’m going to help ghosts. This is why we have this power, isn’t it, Amamiya-kun?”

Ren shrugged and smiled softly. “You may be right.”

Iwai groaned and scratched the back of his neck. “If that’s what you want as an adult, I can’t stop you. Won’t stop me from worryin’, though.” He cleared his throat and shook his head. “Anyways! We’re already out. Why don’t we go eat before we head home? I think we’ve all earned it.” 

As they were heading out, Ren paused only once when Iwai clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks, Ren.” he said, and kept walking. Ren stood there for a moment in silence before continuing to follow the family with a small, sincere smile.


	4. Temperance

While at first Ren had been bitter about Ryuji and Mishima ditching him during the fiasco that was Operation Maid Watch, it had all turned out for the best in the end when he found an ally in Kawakami.

The help with tasks freed him up for more activities with his confidants and Phantom Thief activities. In addition, she was nicer to him at school and allowed him to occasionally get free time, but he couldn’t help but wonder why Kawakami was doing this. Some sort of dire financial situation, but he wasn’t sure he believed the “sick sister” story. 

Still, they slowly bonded over time. The only awkward caveat was when Wakaba discovered the maid; the judgmental look she gave him incited cringe that he would feel in his soul for  years. He was just silently thankful she didn’t tell the other ghosts, apparently. Ren didn’t want to even  _ imagine _ the reaction he’d get from Genkei.

Kawakami, at least, remained oblivious to the ghosts. Aside from Wakaba, ghosts were the farthest thing from Ren’s mind when he interacted with her. 

Until one night, after he had listened to her vent and offered kind words, the truth came out.

“I have to confess something.” she murmured as she faced away from him. She stood while he sat on his couch and stared up at her quietly. “I lied about the reason why I need to make money. I don’t have a sick sister. All the stuff about the fees and charges was a lie, too.”

“Oh, I know.” Ren said calmly. “I figured that from the start.”

She looked over her shoulder, befuddled. “Then why did you keep hiring me?”

“Well, I appreciate the help. And whatever you need the money for is your business, not mine.”

She turned and faced him halfway, but didn’t look at him directly. “See, you understand, now, don’t you? Nothing good will come of associating with a terrible person like me... it’s a good lesson learned. Let’s put an end to this.”

He called her over again three days later and got her back in his attic. She stared down at him as he sat on the couch with his arms crossed, and her hands on her hips.

“Seriously? I told you the story about my little sister was fake... you know you’re being used for money, and you still request me?”

He just gave a scoff and uncrossed his arms. “Who’s the Master here?”

After some hesitation and self-deprecation, Kawakami sat down at his side, put her hands in her lap, and stared down quietly.

“... The money is actually... an apology.” She looked up at him mournfully. “There was a student named Takase at the school I taught at before Shujin. Takase-kun was considered a problem child, since he had the lowest grades and skipped a lot... so I was put in charge of guiding him. Or rather, pushing him to transfer to a different school.” She shook her head. “But when I got to know him, I realized he wasn’t a problem child at all. In fact, he was working several part-time jobs to cover his living expenses. His relatives took him in after his parents died, so he had to make money to support himself.”

“Why was he working part time jobs if his relatives took him in?” 

Kawakami paused. She gave him a look, then turned away and sighed. “He couldn’t attend school every day, but he was motivated to study. That’s why I decided to tutor him... his grades began to improve, slowly but steadily.” Her voice hitched. “But I was told it was wrong to only help certain students and not others... then a strange rumor about him being a juvenile delinquent began to circulate.”

“I know how that feels.” Ren muttered bitterly. Kawakami sighed and looked at him guiltily.

“I feel awful about that, by the way. I was not kind to you and didn’t give you a chance, nor did I try to defend you. That was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.”

Ren shook his head. “It’s in the past. Continue?”

She nodded and looked down again. She sighed heavily. “I got called to the principal’s office... he threatened me. He said I’d be dismissed if I continued to tutor Takase-kun.”

Ren didn’t respond right away. His eyes narrowed. “That’s awful. School administrators are terrible people.”

“They sure are... but so am I.” she said guiltily. Ren shook his head.

“A terrible person wouldn’t have just apologized to me.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that simple, Amamiya-kun. I got scared of losing my job...” She looked away again. “... and having rumors spread about me. So... I cancelled our upcoming tutoring sessions. Takase was on the way to one of his part-time jobs when I told him. Out of all days, it had been New Years’ Eve, and it had been pouring rain all day... and he died in a car crash.”

Ren flinched. She looked back up at him with watery eyes. “He sounded so depressed when I said I couldn’t tutor him anymore... but then he said it was no big deal because he had to work anyways, so I wouldn’t feel bad. If only I had kept my promise to him...”

He felt sympathy, but his mind began to wander. Could there be a ghost? Ren hadn’t seen one, yet. Maybe Takase moved on?

“Is something wrong, Amamiya-kun?”

Ren jolted and gave his teacher a forced smile. “O—Oh, yeah! Everything’s... fine.” 

Her frown grew concerned. “Are you sure? You look pretty pale...”

“I’m fine.” Ren cleared his throat. “Anyways... it was no one’s fault, Kawakami-sensei.”

She hung her head. “He was exhausted from tutoring sessions and his part time jobs... his guardians blamed me for his accident, saying it was my fault he was so tired... they said they were going to sue me and take it to the school board.”

“Unless you paid up.” Ren judged sternly. She nodded, and he huffed. “I think they’re full of shit, and they’re exploiting the guilt you feel.” Kawakami gave him a befuddled look. He shook his head. “Their case would never hold up in court. Imagine trying to explain to the judge that their kid died during work because a teacher was tutoring him... on a day that you weren’t even tutoring him on.”

She gave him a wide-eyed look. A spark of hope was in her eyes before she looked away again and stood up. “... I need to get going.” She didn’t look over her shoulder. “Take care of yourself, Amamiya-kun.”

She departed for the night, and Ren watched after her glumly. He leaned his face into a hand supported by an elbow on the work table and sighed heavily.

* * *

Not long after their last meeting, Kawakami was admitted to the hospital for exhaustion. He came with a gift and sat and talked to her for awhile; his presence got a small smile on her face, at least initially before Ren tried to gently urge her to cut Takase’s family off when they showed up.

It was a schmucky looking, scowling man with crossed arms and an obvious combover and a middle-aged woman whose hair screamed “let me speak to your manager.” Behind them was an exhausted teenage boy with baggy, worn and stained clothes, and behind him was a couple in nice clothes that looked a lot like him. They, too, scowled, though not at Kawakami—instead, their glares were firmly aimed at the ruder couple.

“I’m so sorry, Kawakami-sensei.” the teenage boy apologized, and the rude man spoke.

“What’s going on, Ms. Kawakami? I called the school, but no one answered.”

“Takase-san!” Kawakami gasped as she shrunk back. Hatred immediately rose in Ren, but he held it under a calm veneer. “You contacted the school...?!”

“Well, you weren’t answering your phone! And when I thought you finally answered, it was a nurse who told us you were here! It’s really an inconvenience to us when you miss a payment, you know.”

“Pretty sure the nurse wasn’t supposed to tell them that,” Ren muttered to Kawakami under his breath, “that seems like a violation of your privacy.”

“Now, now,” the entitled woman huffed as she patted her husband’s arm, “it’s not like she wanted to collapse... but our credit card payment is coming up, so we’ll need you to transfer the money.”

Kawakami stiffened. She looked down guiltily. “I’m sorry...”

“Don’t apologize to them.” Ren scolded.

The woman glared at him. “You stay out of this, you brat.”

Ren peered at them with a frown and turned to his teacher. She nodded her head toward them.

“They’re Takase-kun’s guardians,” she explained, “the ones I mentioned the other day.”

“Who’s this?” the man questioned with a scowl.

“He’s a student who came to visit me.”

“Messing around with another student?” The man smirked. “You never learn, do you? Tsk tsk... and after all you did to him...”

Kawakami looked down. “I’m sorry...” she muttered. Ren shook his head.

“No, don’t apologize to them.”

“When are you going to send out the money?” the entitled woman huffed impatiently as she ignored Ren. Kawakami didn’t look up.

“I should be able to send it out tomorrow...”

“Don’t pay them.” Ren said sternly as he stood up to glare at the couple. Kawakami looked up at him in awe.

“Amamiya-kun...”

“You’re goddamn right, kid.” the adult man ghost remarked.

“Stay out of this!” the woman barked with a scowl. Her husband waved a hand.

“Don’t act so tough, kid. Our precious adoptive son, Taiki, died because of this woman. Honestly, she should have been fired.”

“That’s not...”

He cut Kawakami’s weak protest off. “And yet she still doesn’t know her place... and she still continues to teach.” He turned to her. “We’re gonna need you to show some remorse for what you did to him... in a material and undeniable way!”

“Fuck you.” the ghost teenager snapped.

“... I understand. I will pay you.” Kawakami murmured. Ren scowled at her. “So...!”

“It’s not like we’re trying to extort you.” Takase’s aunt said with a sniff. “But who was it that convinced Taiki to start studying when he needed to be working? His schoolwork on top of his part time jobs overwhelmed him, which led to that accident.” She shook her head. “Tsk... poor Taiki! It’s almost like he was murdered!”

The bedraggled boy spoke bitterly. “It wasn’t her fault. I could have studied and gotten away from you who made me work. I died because of you two.”

Ren’s brows lifted briefly. He glanced over at the boy, who paused at Ren’s look.

“You think he sees us?” he whispered to the couple behind him. The woman shook her head.

“I doubt it, love.”

Ren cleared his throat and shrugged as he crossed his arms. “You tell me why he was working that day.“

The couple looked taken aback. The woman put a hand on her chest. “Excuse me?”

“He was your adoptive son, right? Then why were you making him have multiple part-time jobs when he should have been studying?” He shrugged. “Seems to me like this could have been avoided if he wasn’t working himself too hard in the first place... so why was he? A kid doesn’t work himself to the bone for no reason...” 

Kawakami gaped at him. The couple looked as though he had slapped them across the face.

“You tell them!” the teenage boy ghost’s mother cheered. The boy grinned.

“Oh, I like you.”

“Hah!” his father snorted. 

The living couple went bright red. “You little shit!” the man snapped. “That’s none of your business! Are you accusing US of killing Taiki?!”

Ren just shrugged.

“All I’m saying is the reason he was working himself so hard is at fault. I didn’t say you specifically... but it wasn’t Kawakami. She wasn’t making him work multiple jobs.”

Ren had never seen anyone get that red with anger before. Still, he didn’t back down—he just stared back at them until Kawakami reached up to pat his arm.

“That’s enough, Amamiya-kun.” Kawakami sighed. “It’s not worth it.”

“Is it?” he challenged. “Do you want me to call security?”

“We’re done here anyways.” the woman snapped, still red in the face. “Kawakami. We expect payment. Tomorrow.” She turned to Ren. “And if we see you again, we’ll have you arrested for harassment.”

Ren would have been lying if the mention of “arrest” didn’t give him pause, but the couple left. Kawakami blinked and shook her head at Ren.

“I don’t even know what to say...” She sighed and looked down. “I... thought about it before, but thought I was just making excuses for what I did...”

“Yeah, because they’re gaslighting you. Don’t pay them. Who’s in charge of a child’s welfare?” 

Kawakami blinked a few times more before nodding her head slowly.

“... You’re right.” She shook her head. “But... what if they go to the school board?”

Ren glanced up at the ghosts. The boy noticed his gaze first and locked eyes with him. He gasped.

“Do you see me?”

Ren winked at him, and a chorus of gasps escaped the family as he turned back to an oblivious Kawakami. He shook his head. “And tell them what, exactly? That their nephew died in an accident several years ago that you weren’t even present for? I wouldn’t worry.” 

Kawakami sighed and leaned back in the bed. She smiled wearily. “... Thank you, Amamiya-kun. I think... I need to think for awhile. You should head home; Sakura-san will worry if you’re too late.”

“Do you need anything before I go?”

She shook her head. “You’re sweet, but no. Get home safe, Amamiya-kun.”

Ren stood up. “Alright. You need anything, call me. Good night, Kawakami-sensei.”

With that, he headed out of the hospital, though he glanced over his shoulder again at the dumbfounded ghosts as he left her room. 

“We need to talk to you.”

He heard the ghost boy speak as soon as he was out of the hospital. Ren looked over his shoulder again and shook his head.

“Not here.” he whispered. “Follow me.”

* * *

He led them to his room. As soon as he came to his room, Morgana, who had been lounging on the bed, sat up. 

“Hey,” he greeted, “how’s Kawakami?”

Surprised shouts came from the ghost family behind him. Ren shook his head.

“She’s exhausted, but she should be fine with rest. However, we have an issue at hand. You know Takase-kun? That old student of hers?”

Morgana stood up. His tail swished. “You see him, don’t you? He’s here with you now?”

“With his parents in tow.” He turned to the shocked family. “If I had to wager a guess... you couldn’t move on because of your concerns for Taiki. And now that he’s a ghost, too, the concern is Kawakami?”

Taiki bobbed his head quickly. “Y—Yes! That’s exactly right!” He paused and cocked his head. “Who... what are you? Are you a wizard?”

Ren snorted out a laugh and smiled. “No, just a weird kid who sees dead people. The talking cat is from my side job as a Phantom Thief.” 

More gasps while the not-cat bristled. “NOT A CAT!” Morgana yowled. Ren winced and looked back at him.

“Sorry. Not a cat.” he reassured with a wave of the hand. The cat grumbled and huffed.

“Keep it straight. Anyways, yes. You ghosts are in luck. Not only have you discovered a ghost seer—you’ve found the Phantom Thieves. You want us to change your relatives’ hearts?”

“For real...?” Taiki gasped. “You’re a Phantom Thief...?!” Ren smiled wryly and nodded. His parents, after a moment’s shock, beamed, and Taiki began to bob his head eagerly.

“Yes!” he pleaded. He held his clutched hands up to his chin in a pleading manner. “Please! We’re stuck here because of them!”

“We’ve tried for years to haunt them, to scare them into submission, but nothing works!” his mother mourned. Ren put a hand on his chin.

“They kept going in spite of the cold, angry mood, I take it?”

Taiki’s father sighed and nodded. “It’s hard to scare the living when they can’t see you. Eventually they shrugged it off. We couldn’t bring ourselves to watch what Kawakami was doing, so we’ve been wandering the city until now and occasionally checked in on our relatives. So... please help us. Please set Kawakami free.”

Ren nodded. “I’d be happy to. All we need are their full names...”

They shared them, and the Nav reacted—Mementos hits. Morgana stretched himself out on the bed. “Then that settles it. We’ll make a Mementos run tomorrow and set this right; we have some other targets we can handle in the meanwhile. We sort of let them pile up while we were handling Futaba’s Palace.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Taiki’s father questioned eagerly. Ren shook his head.

“That’s nice of you, but we can handle this. Why don’t you go keep Kawakami company? Time is wasted trying to scare your relatives.”

The couple nodded. Taiki looked up at them. “You guys head on first. I want to talk to Amamiya-kun.”

They disappeared. Taiki turned back to Ren and stared at him curiously. Ren just watched him examine him calmly. Finally, the boy shook his head. “Sorry. Just, ah... this is surreal, y’know? Been a long time since I talked to anyone other than my parents.”

“It’s cool.” 

Taiki shrugged. “Well, uh... thanks again. How did you come to meet Kawakami? How much did she tell you about me?”

Ren coughed awkwardly and looked away as he scratched the back of his neck. “That’s... a long story. Let’s leave it at that. I know that your parents died, you went into that asshole couple’s custody, they worked you to the bone, Kawakami quit tutoring you, and you died.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened.” Taiki frowned and hesitated. “Did... Kawakami seem like she felt guilty? About... me? I don’t want her to...” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

Ren snorted. “Are you kidding me? She feels awful about it; she almost cried when she told me your story. Kawakami has said she made a mistake; she thinks she’s a bad teacher, a bad person. She—”

“I don’t blame her.” Taiki interrupted, resigned. “I know who to blame. Even at the time, I wasn’t... I don’t know. I was just so beaten down at that point. I felt like nothing mattered...” He scoffed. “Hell, I wasn’t even upset when I died. Not initially. I felt happy to be free of the rigors of life, but then I watched what my aunt and uncle did to her.” 

Taiki looked glum. He grimaced and closed his eyes. “Then I began to mourn my life. I realized I could have had a good life, could have made myself into something... but they robbed me of that. I was just relieved initially to be free, but I’m missing out on so much...”

He made a noise like that of a shuddering breath. The ghost sighed heavily. “But it doesn’t matter now. I’m dead. Now I just want to see my relatives punished and Kawakami freed... but now that I know you exist, I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I have a favor to ask.”

Ren already felt his heart sink as he internally guessed what was coming.

“... After their change of heart... I want you to help me talk to Kawakami. To settle things between us before I move on.” He looked at him pleadingly. “Can you help me?”

Ren’s face whitened. He hesitated for a good, long moment and secretly hoped Taiki would change his mind, but the boy just stared at him patiently.

“Oh.” Ren croaked. Morgana sighed and hopped off the bed.

“They want you to act as a medium, don’t they?”

He turned to frown at the cat. “How did you know?”

“Because that noise you made. And your face. You make that face whenever the prospect of telling anyone about your power comes up.” His tail swished impatiently. “You know what you have to do.”

“But...”

“Did  any of the others react negatively once you proved yourself?”

“That’s different! This is my teacher!” He groaned and threw a palm on his face. “Ugh... how would I even prove myself to her? If I just come out and say ‘I see dead people,’ she’d never believe me!”

Taiki cleared his throat. He had a small smile on his face as Ren looked at him. “I have a solution for that... don’t think about it for now, and don’t worry so much. It’s bad for your health, and since you still have that... don’t squander it. Catch you later.”

With that, he vanished. 

* * *

Changing the Takases’ hearts was a simple matter. Handling the aftermath was not. 

Kawakami had brought him the news of their groveling and apology money to her with a beaming smile on her face. There was also no small amount of shock and confusion over the likelihood of the Phantom Thieves taking them as targets. She didn’t confront him directly when she shared the news, but he knew the suspicious look she gave him.

Not long after at school following the Hawaii trip, Kawakami asked to speak to him in Leblanc that night. He knew what was coming—an accusation of being a Phantom Thief. 

Taiki and his parents still lingered. A sense of dread clung to his heart as Taiki had an anticipatory grin on his face that did not fade.

“This is going to suck.”

Ren muttered anxiously to Ryuji and Morgana as he paced in the courtyard, his hands on his hips. Ryuji just watched him with unusual quietness while Morgana’s tail swished.

“You have to do it.” Morgana admonished. 

“Look, man, it’s gonna be okay.” Ryuji reassured as he crossed his arms. “I know you get all weird about this sorta thing—”

“Can you blame me?!” 

Ryuji recoiled a bit, and Ren deflated and stopped pacing. He frowned apologetically. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“Don’t sweat it.” Ryuji said with a shrug. “Anyways, is that guy—what’s his name, Taiki?—here?”

Ren shook his head and stopped pacing. “No. He said he was thinking and would get back to me.”

A throat cleared. Ren jumped while the other two looked up calmly to see a frowning, anxious-eyed Mishima walk up to the group. The Phantom Thief leader quickly relaxed back and put on his poker face as he approached.

“Oh, hey, Mishima,” he greeted awkwardly, “what’s up?”

“Checking on you.” He shrugged. “I’ve never seen you look that concerned before. You usually have that poker face on.”

Ren shook his head. “Everything’s fine.”

Ryuji scoffed and crossed one leg over the other. “Dude. Anyone could see you pacing, and you’re...” He grinned. “... pale as a ghost.”

Ren facepalmed and Mishima gasped. Morgana glared at him. “Blondie!” he scolded sharply.

Ryuji cleared his throat and wiped at his nose. “Sorry, but he already knows! Couldn’t help myself. Anyways, chill, man. This ain’t gonna be as bad as you think...”

Mishima’s eyes practically glittered with excitement. “G—Ghost business?” he whispered. Ren gave him a tired look while Ryuji nodded.

“You know that couple we had you post not long ago, the Takases? Yeah... request came from their relatives. One of ‘em was one of Kawakami’s old students and wants to talk to her tonight or somethin’.”

Mishima winced. “ _Oooh_. Oof.” He forced a reassuring smile as Ren glared at him. “Hey, it’ll be okay! I’m sure Kawakami will be fine with it, and it’ll be good to have a teacher on our side!”

Ren rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you two...” he muttered under his breath. Ryuji blinked.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Ren curtly replied. He stood up straight. “Anyways, Taiki said he wants me to compose a letter or something on his behalf. Waiting to hear back from him about it. He says if I can pass it off as the spoils of Phantom Thievery—which she’s probably figured out—and she doesn’t question it, then I’m off the hook.”

Mishima and Ryuji shared a doubtful look. Ren huffed indignantly. “At least pretend there’s a chance there’s not going to be an awkward talk...”

“Hey!”

Taiki appeared in front of Ren, who almost yelled out loud and stumbled backwards. Ryuji caught him while Mishima stared, wide eyed, where Ren was staring. The ghost paused.

“Oh? Bad timing? You can’t exactly talk to me while they’re here, can you?”

“They know.” 

“Oh.” Taiki shrugged. “Anyways, I think I’ve decided what I want you to write.”

Ren nodded shakily and pulled his phone out. “Go ahead and dictate it, then. I’ll have a friend print it out so—”

“You don’t think she’ll find a printed letter suspicious?” Mishima pointed out. Ren frowned at him.

“Why would that be any different than a hand-written letter?”

“I dunno... your excuse is that it’s from... whatever you do to change hearts, right? Doesn’t seem... I don’t know. Supernatural enough?”

“What the hell does that mean? Why would a hand-written note be any less weird?” Morgana groaned. Ryuji crossed his arms.

“This is dumb, you know that, right, Ren? She’s gonna figure it out! Won’t matter which way you cut it.”

Ren huffed quietly and tucked his hands in his pockets while Morgana blinked. “Wow. Didn’t expect the words of wisdom to come from Blondie.”

Ryuji glared at the cat. “Ah, shuddup, cat!” 

Mishima cleared his throat, reached for his bag, and extracted a notebook. He flipped it open to a blank page, plucked a pen out of his bag, and proffered both to Ren. “Here. Just write it out. It’ll be the fastest way and it’ll at least soften the beginning of the talk.”

Ren stared warily at the paper before he heaved a reluctant sigh and took them from Mishima’s outstretched hands. “Thanks.” he muttered. “Let’s go sit at the table so I have a surface to write on.”

The boys nodded and followed him to the courtyard table by the vending machines. Taiki chuckled.

“Man, three—four brains put together, but you’re not any smarter, huh? I wish I was still alive... you guys would have been the sort of crowd I’d want to hang out with.”

* * *

_ Kawakami-sensei, _

_ I hope you are doing well since they changed my aunt and uncle’s hearts. It was hard to watch all those years. _

_ True to what Amamiya-kun said, the reason I died was because they were overworking me to pay for their lifestyle. They threatened to throw me out into the street if I didn’t. All things considered, I probably should have let them do that. Would have been better than working to death. Oh well... que sera, sera. _

_ Please stop beating yourself up over what happened. I don’t blame you, and I know you probably would have come around. You can’t change the past, but you can change the future... so help this kid like you wanted to help me. _

_ In case you still think Amamiya made this all up (which I doubt if you catch my drift), remember that math is the devil, and history is where all the good stuff is. Particularly ancient history. Besides, you know how I roll. _

_ Rest easy so I can rest easy. _

_ Taiki _

Ren stared apprehensively as Kawakami read the letter. Halfway through, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She shuddered and sobbed quietly but began to smile softly at the letter. 

He sat opposite of her in the empty Leblanc at a table while Morgana sat at his side and watched the scene unravel. Taiki stood off to the side, his arms crossed as he smiled. 

Kawakami read the letter a few times before she set it down and locked eyes with Ren.

“Where did you get this, really?”

Ren stiffened and cleared his throat. “Um... Phantom Thief business...?”

Kawakami scoffed.

“I told you before reading this I had figured that out. I have never heard of the Phantom Thieves delivering any intense, personal letters like this. It’s your handwriting, but distinctly Taiki’s words. Taiki was always depressed and stressed, but he said ‘que sera sera’ whenever I asked him how he was doing. He hated math and called it the devil while he loved history, particularly ancient history. He said it was because you could learn from the past, which didn’t change. He could learn from that and change his future if...” She sobbed and hunched over. “If I kept tutoring him.”

Ren’s eyes softened. “Kawakami-sensei...”

“Tell me the truth, Amamiya-kun.” She looked up at him sternly. “The real truth. How did you get this letter?”

She stared at him while he gulped. Morgana patted his arm. “It’s okay, Ren.” the cat whispered.

Ren closed his eyes.

“... I can see and talk to ghosts.”

He heard her gasp softly. After a moment, he heard her unabashedly weep. 

“Taiki...!”

The ghost beamed. “Been a long time, Kawakami-sensei.”

Ren felt a hand reach out and gently cup the side of his face. He looked up with wide eyes to see Kawakami beaming at him.

“We need your help.” she said quietly. “Please.”

He gave a small smile. “Okay.”

* * *

After a long talk, Taiki was ready to move on. His parents appeared, slowly enveloped in light with their son, who gave one last smile.

“See you later, Kawakami-sensei. Take care of yourself.”

As Taiki and his parents finally vanished into the light, a strong rush of air brushed up against Ren and Kawakami, who shivered at its approach. Kawakami sniffled and gasped quietly. “He’s... he’s gone?” she asked quietly. Ren nodded. 

“He’s gone.” he confirmed softly. “Gone with his parents. They’re at peace, now, too. It’s over. He said to take care of yourself and that he’d see you later.”

Kawakami wept, but smiled all the same. Ren looked down and scratched the back of his neck. After a moment’s pause, he felt her grasp his free hand. With a mildly startled gasp, he flinched and looked up. He saw her red face and smile as she clasped his hand with both of hers. 

“Thank you.” she breathed. Ren shrugged awkwardly. 

“I, uh... you’re welcome, I suppose. Um...” He cleared his throat and frowned apologetically. “I’m sorry. I’m... still not very good at this part. The, uh, emotions and all. Getting better at it, but not quite there yet..”

Kawakami laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know that anyone would be good at this, Ren-kun. I appreciate you doing this.”

The boy nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Um...” He looked away. “Can we, uh... can you please not tell anyone?” 

The teacher scoffed. “Who would even believe me if I did? I wouldn’t, but rest assured your secrets are safe.” She stared at him for a moment and shook her head again as she let go of his hand. “You’re... quite the special kid, Amamiya-kun.”

“Don’t I know it.” Ren snorted. Kawakami shook her head.

“I mean that in a good way. You and the rest of the Phantom Thieves set me free, and you in particular set Taiki and his parents free... thanks to your gift.”

Ren groaned. “Why does everyone call it that...?”

“Because it IS a gift.” Kawakami said sternly, almost scolding him. Ren picked his head up to give her a look of consternation as she crossed her arms. “Why don’t you explain yourself and your whole story with this? You know all of my secrets; if I’m going to help you, don’t you think it’d help if I knew what was going on?”

Ren pursed his lips and stared at her for a long moment before sighing wearily, clasping his hands together, and leaned his head against them as he propped his elbows against the table. “Fine...” 

* * *

“Oh my God, you poor thing!”

Ren cringed instinctively and shrugged, looking away. “It is what it is...” he muttered. She sighed heavily.

“This just makes me feel even worse about how I treated you at the start... you’ve been through a lot, huh?” She scowled, her nails digging into her sweater as she crossed her arms. “And your parents... God!” She growled. “You deserve better! How can they call it all fake, after all this time?!”

“Beats me.” Ren cleared his throat and looked at her. “So, uh... yeah. That’s my story. I’m, uh... well, the others are working on it, but I’m not comfortable talking about this with anyone, so... Sorry. It’s embarrassing...”

“No, it’s not!” Kawakami protested, throwing her hands on the table. “You have people who know and believe in you, like myself. You shouldn’t be embarrassed about such an important part of yourself.” Her eyes hardened. “You feel like this because your parents made you associate it with shame. Well, they’re wrong!” Her voice had grown angrier and angrier by the word. “There’s NOTHING wrong with you!”

“I logically know that,” Ren protested quietly, shrinking back, “but, um... can we still just... not...”

Kawakami deflated in an instant and let out a long sigh as she leaned back, uncrossing her arms. “... I won’t press it. Sorry, Amamiya-kun.” She smiled gently. “Just know that you can talk to me about it if you want, and... I’m grateful. Really grateful, and I always will be.”

Ren chuckled.

“Me too, Kawakami-sensei... me too.”

* * *

Ren felt exhausted the next day at school. He barely got his butt in his seat when Ann, Ryuji, and Mishima zipped to his side with concerned looks.

“How did it go?” Ryuji whispered. Ren looked up toward the podium, where Kawakami was prepping her lesson. The teacher caught his glance, smiled brightly, and nodded. He nodded back and turned to his friends, who started smiling, too.

“I think it went well.”

* * *

It was December, and Kawakami had dropped by Leblanc to help Ren brush up on what he had missed while playing dead. Thankfully, none of it had proven too difficult, but it was still time consuming.

“... Okay,” Kawakami pointed to an open page in a textbook, “this will be on the exam, so...”

“Amamiya-kun!”

Ren jolted and dropped his pencil as Kobayakawa appeared by the table. The boy cast a rueful glare at a concerned-looking Kobayakawa who frowned right back at him. Kawakami, who had been briefly startled, set her hands down and looked where Ren was looking.

“Who is it?” 

“Kobayakawa.” Ren huffed. “What is it? I’m busy...”

“I know, but this can’t wait!” He shook his head. “About the lack of reaction from the public—“

“Kobayakawa, please go away.” Kawakami snapped. “Ren needs to study for his finals!” 

Kobayakawa scowled at her. “I was your principal, you know!”

Ren told her what he said. The teacher scoffed and cast an unimpressed look in his direction. “‘Was.’ Key word, ‘was.’ As in, I don’t answer to you anymore, you useless prick.”

Kobayakawa gave an offended gasp and put a hand to his chest as Ren leaned his head into a hand. “I’m sorry, Kobayakawa, but I don’t have any news. The changes of heart have been made. Now we wait; in the meanwhile, I have exams. So...”

“Get out.” Kawakami snapped. Kobayakawa blinked and gave an indignant huff as he turned away. 

“Fine.”

He disappeared. Kawakami turned to Ren. “Is he gone?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get back to work.” She pointed to the open textbook. “Let’s get to it.”

Ren couldn’t help the smile that came on his face. 

“Let’s do it.”


End file.
